Chapter 134: Take, Not Take, Take…

Standing on the city wall and looking into the distance, Zhu Yunwen couldn’t help but feel somewhat melancholic.

Relocating the capital was not as simple as picking up and leaving like on a vacation. With a wave of the hand, except for the city itself, most of the assets needed to be moved.

It wasn’t the time to relocate the capital now, not by a long shot.

But a relocation was inevitable!

Zhu Yunwen slammed the city wall and fixed his determined gaze on the distant horizon. He said in a deep voice, “Establish a large granary with Beiping Prefecture and Nanjing Prefecture as the centers to prepare for the northern expedition.”

“As you command.”

Xie Jin and Huang Zicheng replied.

Zhu Yunwen, along with Xie Jin and others, walked along the city wall, inspecting the defenses.

“Minister Xie, what do you think of the memorial from Yao Shan of Suzhou Prefecture?” Zhu Yunwen asked.

Xie Jin replied with a bitter tone, “Your Majesty, the issues raised by Yao Shan are also mentioned by the Prefect of Beiping Prefecture, Zhang Bing. From the current perspective, the road pass system does indeed hinder the people and merchants. However, the existence of the road pass system also has its advantages, especially when considering coastal areas. Without road passes, wouldn’t the japanese pirates easily enter the city? If they cause trouble within the city…”

Zhu Yunwen furrowed his brow and said, “That’s indeed a problem.”

Jie Jin nodded and continued, “Your Majesty, not only the Japanese pirates but also illegal salt traders and criminals could easily cross the provinces and prefectures, and the Tatar and Oirat might send infiltrators. If road pass are completely abolished, will it lower tax revenue when many farmers come to the city for work and business while farmland is left uncultivated?”

“I bring up these concerns out of worry, but in the long run, the road pass system cannot last forever, and its abolition is only a matter of time. However, preparations should be made before its abolition.”

Zhu Yunwen looked at Xie Jin approvingly, said, “You are right, these are all possible issues. The Tatar and Oirat may send spies to the border areas. As for the Nine Borders, they should be secure for now. The Japanese pirates are scattered along the coast and do not pose a threat to Suzhou Prefecture and Beiping Prefecture.”

“Let them try for themselves. Abolish the road pass system within their jurisdictions, but they should find ways to solve their security issues and strengthen public safety and patrols within the city.”

Abolishing the road pass system was just the appetizer. The real challenge lay in the household registration issue. However, Zhu Yunwen couldn’t bring up the household registration issue yet, especially with the vassal kings about to arrive in the capital.

Zhu Yunwen deeply hoped that the vassal kings wouldn’t enter the capital this year because the long journey would take nearly half a year, and they had just returned last year and barely had two months to rest before leaving again.

Zhu Yunwen didn’t allow these people to return to the capital during the Qingming Festival. However, it’s already May, and Zhu Yuanzhang’s death anniversary is approaching. Delaying any further wouldn’t be acceptable.

Throughout the year, it’s necessary to have them come and pay their respects to their father. At this time, it’s important to make time to deal with the vassal kings.

The household registration issue is quite significant and can’t be resolved with just a few words in a short period. It might even lead to disputes in the court.

“Your Majesty, according to the reports from Beiping and Suzhou, the New Commercial Policy has yielded satisfactory results. I propose implementing this policy in the capital,” Xie Jin said as he paused and respectfully bowed.

Zhu Yunwen shook his head slightly and replied, “You are an official of the Grand Secretariat, and while your proposal is important, it may not necessarily represent the views of the officials and the many merchants in the capital. The officials have taught me a lesson by staying silent, and I don’t wish to become a truly isolated ruler. Whether or not the New Commercial Policy should be implemented in the capital will depend on the attitudes of the officials.”

Xie Jin smiled warmly. The Emperor was still the Emperor. Despite intimidating the officials earlier, he was giving them enough face now.

The decision to implement the New Commercial Policy in the capital was closely tied to the attitudes of the officials, showing that the Emperor wanted to improve his relationship with the officials and not be at odds with them everywhere.

“Since Your Majesty put it that way, I understand,” Xie Jin responded confidently.

Upon returning to the Kunning palace, Zhu Yunwen was exhausted.

Anyone who had walked for an entire day would feel uncomfortable.

Furthermore, Zhu Yunwen had little physical training, but he persevered and walked for dozens of miles along the city wall.

Ma Enhui personally picked the blisters on Zhu Yunwei’s feet, scolding him tenderly, “You are the Emperor, the highest authority, why bother walk such a long distance when you can use a palanquin?”

“It’s just a little over thirty miles. If I can’t handle this, I’m being too pampered. I think I should walk more in the future.” Zhu Yunwen sat on the couch with a smile, looking at the disgruntled Ma Enhui, and asked “Empress, how is the Outer Laundry Bureau doing?”

Ma Enhui nodded slightly and replied, “Everything seems to be going well. According to the reports from the eunuchs in charge of inspection, the Outer Laundry Bureau is handling the laundry responsibly, and there haven’t been any major issues. May I ask why you’re suddenly inquiring about this?”

Zhu Yunwen pulled Ma Enhui to sit down beside him, sighed, and said, “Is the current medical gauze counted as piecework?”

Ma Enhui smiled and said, “Yes, Your Majesty mentioned it before, and I thought about it carefully. If we count it as piecework, then anyone who can produce more can earn more monthly money, which is quite reasonable.”

“After implementing this method, the production of medical gauze in the inner palace has increased significantly. This month, we should be able to exceed twenty thousand boxes. Then we can collect our money…”

Ma Enhui was speaking proudly but noticed an unnatural smile on Emperor Zhu Yunzhen’s face. She couldn’t help but ask, “Did I make a mistake, Your Majesty?”

Zhu Yunwen held Ma Enhui’s hand and looked into her clear eyes. He slowly said, “Your calculations are undoubtedly correct. However, it’s necessary for you to personally inspect the situation at the Outer Laundry Bureau. If things continue like this, your good reputation may be at stake.”

Ma Enhui looked at Zhu Yunwen with confusion but didn’t press further. She quickly got up and said, “Your Majesty, please rest. I will go and return shortly.”

Since Zhu Yunwen mentioned an issue at the Outer Laundry Bureau, there must be some truth to it.

Concerning her own reputation and the livelihood of those unfortunate people, how could Ma Enhui not be concerned?

Although it was late at night, Ma Enhui wanted to leave the palace. Who could stop her?

Outer Laundry Bureau.

The person-in-charge was a person from the original laundry bureau named Hu Po. Despite being only thirty-five years old, Hu Po had worked in the laundry bureau for twenty years, always diligent and never making mistakes.

After the palace laundry service was transferred to the production of medical gauze, Hu Po became the person-in-charge of the Outer Laundry Bureau, responsible for training the widows and women recruited from capital.

Since the clothes to be washed were not from their own homes, they couldn’t be soaked in water for three days until they stank, nor could they be randomly beaten with a wooden mallet. After washing, they needed to be taught how to air-dry and fold properly.

Hu Po worked diligently, and her efforts were recognized with commendations from the palace several times.

However, it was strange that even when a person’s feet were on the ground, their thoughts could still drift away.

Although Hu Po was in charge of the Outer Laundry Bureau, she didn’t sever her ties with the original palace laundry service. When she heard about the calculation of medical gauze production on a per-piece basis, clever Hu Po borrowed the idea.

Initially, the Outer Laundry Bureau used a per-piece calculation, with Hu Po evenly assigning tasks to each room. After completing the work ahead of schedule, everyone could leave early. Those with children would take care of them, and those without family could go wherever they pleased.

When the first widow approached Hu Po, offering five taels of silver and requesting her to provide an extra ten pieces of clothing per day, Hu Po refused.

However, the Chinese people understood.

Many refusals were just a formality.

I pushed it away, saying I didn’t want it.

You handed it over, insisting that I must take it.

After a few repetitions, often, the “must take it” side would prevail…

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